Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
This verse opens a list of army divisions, one for each month of the year. Why does a book so full of temple arrangements stop to count soldiers, and why is Jashobeam given the first place?
The chapters before this one arranged the Levites, priests, singers and doorkeepers for the house of God. This chapter turns to the throne. One writer ties its numbers to the kingdom on earth:
This chapter (vv. 1-15) deals with the service of the king. As in all these enumerations, the number twelve with its factors is always mentioned. It deals with what concerns the kingdom upon earth, having the twelve tribes as their center. There were army divisions of 24,000 men each for the twelve months of the year, one division for each month.
24,000 is twelve twice over. One writer treats that doubling as deliberate:
The number twenty-four stands out here, whether as an actual number or in thousands. Twelve is the number devoted to perfection in human government — in government by man. In the Church, seven, because it is spiritual administration. In Israel, twelve — twelve tribes, not seven. So here in the kingdom that is coming; only there is a double witness of it. It is twenty-four. Twelve on its own established nothing. "Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses." The Millennium will be the great establishment of the kingdom.
These divisions were a militia called up month by month, drawn from men who had long been with David:
Remember that Israel was the army of Jehovah, keeping His charge and fighting His battles… In David's days those heroes who were with him in the cave of Adullam formed the nucleus of his "mighty men." They were devoted to the service of God's king. David afterwards organised a monthly militia of 24,000 men under 12 captains.
The same names appear in the earlier lists of David's mighty men:
Except Abishai and Shammah, the first twelve were the monthly captains.
The parallel list of David's warriors in 2 Samuel names the chief captain differently. Commentators differ over how to fit the two records together:
It is difficult to reconcile the two passages. Some think that Jashobeam and Joshebbassebet are the same name — one being varied by the copyist. Some judge the passage in Samuel to be incorrect. They read "Adino the Eznite" not as a proper name, but as "he swung his spear."… The two passages may refer to different persons. Note that Jashobeam is said to have killed three hundred men, and Adino eight hundred. Jashobeam is named in connection with David's coming into power, and Adino with "the last words of David."
Jashobeam had stood with David when it cost something. One writer traces his first place back to that loyalty:
Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, is one of the three mightiest mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11. He raised his spear against three hundred of David's enemies and killed them in one tremendous fight. That victory brought him into prominence, and he became "the chief of the captains." Still, the real secret of his success was his loyalty to David, whose rejection and sufferings he shared. Later he is still with David in the glory of his kingdom… Faithful and fruitful service comes only as the love of Christ moves us to hold fast to Him. That service benefits all the children of God. Remember that David's soldiers served David for the good of all Israel, and not of one section only.
Another writer draws the same line from faithfulness now to place in the coming kingdom:
Our places in the coming kingdom will match our walk and service in this present age. To the faithful servant the Lord will say, "I will set you over much" (Matt. 25:21-23)… if any are willing to let the world go by for Christ's sake, content to bear the cross day by day, will He fail to reward them suitably in the day of His glory? In this way David acted towards the companions of his distress when he reached the throne. The Greater than David will be equally mindful of every bit of faithfulness to His Word and Name.
- Order — this chapter moves from the house of God to the throne: twelve divisions for twelve months.
- Twelve — twelve is the number of government in Israel. Doubled to twenty-four, it speaks of a double witness and a kingdom established.
- Shared — each division served one month, and its men fought for the good of all Israel, not one section of it.
- Proven — apart from two, the monthly captains were the men already listed among David's mighty men. David gave these commands to tested men.
- Rewarded — Jashobeam shared David's rejection, then held first place in his glory. Christ will not forget those who bear the cross for Him now.
He was of the children of Pherez, the head of all the captains of the hosts for the first month.
The chapter turns from priests and singers to soldiers. Twelve commanders each served the king with 24,000 men, one commander for each month of the year. The first of them is Jashobeam, and this verse traces his family line back to Perez. Why does a family tree matter in a military roster?
One writer reads the opening section of the chapter as the king's own service, built on the pattern of the nation itself:
This chapter (vv. 1-15) deals with the service of the king. As in all these lists, the number twelve and its factors keep appearing. It deals with the kingdom on earth, and the twelve tribes are its centre. There were army divisions of 24,000 men each for the twelve months of the year, one division for each month.
A commentator on this chapter asks why the count is twenty-four, when twelve might have been enough:
In 1 Chronicles 27 we see more of the kingdom in its outward arrangements. The number twenty-four stands out here, whether as an actual number or in thousands. Twelve is the number devoted to perfection in human government — in government by man. In the Church, seven, because it is spiritual administration. In Israel, twelve — twelve tribes, not seven. So it is with the kingdom still to come — except that here there is a double witness of it. It is twenty-four. Nothing was established when it was only twelve. "Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established." The Millennium will be the great establishment of the kingdom. So we do not yet have perfection. Perfection will be in eternity, but there will still be establishment.
The older wording he quotes reads, "every word shall be established," which is why he applies it to anything being established, not only to a legal charge.
The commander of the first month already had a record. He first appears among David's hardest fighters:
Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, is one of the three mightiest mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11. He lifted up his spear against three hundred of David's enemies, and he killed them in one tremendous fight. This is the triumph that made him stand out, and he became "the chief of the captains." Still, the true secret of his success was his attachment to David. He shared David's rejection and his sufferings. Afterwards we find him still with David in the glory of his kingdom… There may be something distinctive in our service for the Anointed of God now, as there will be in the kingdom rewards later. But faithful and fruitful service comes only as the love of Christ constrains us to cling to Him. Such service will benefit all the children of God, for we must remember that David's soldiers served David in view of the good of all Israel, and not a mere section only.
The verse names a family, not just a man. Perez was one of Judah's sons:
Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar, always comes before his twin brother Zerah, so he had the right of the firstborn. The family of Perez (Num. 26:20) held highest rank in the tribe of Judah in David's reign (1 Chron. 27:3), and seems to have been marked by its fruitfulness and strength.
The name itself carries a meaning. One writer traces where this family led:
Perez, the "breaker forth," breaks out into a vast fruitfulness that fills all the later history of Judah. From this line come her kings, and her great King.
A commentator sees a pattern of Christ in David's arranging everything in advance:
What is interesting here is that David ordered and arranged everything, even the doors of the house that was not yet built. So in Christ, all is appointed before it appears in glory.
- Order — Twelve divisions, one for each month, 24,000 men in each. The king's service is built on the pattern of the twelve tribes.
- Establishment — Twelve marks government by man. Doubling it to twenty-four gives a double witness, and a double witness is what establishes a thing. The Millennium will establish the kingdom.
- Reward — The man who leads the first month first won his place among David's mightiest. Those who shared the king's rejection are found in his kingdom.
- Attachment — His victories were real. But the secret of his success was his attachment to David. His service was for all Israel, not one section of it.
- Line — The chief captain came from Perez, the family given first place in Judah. Perez means "breaker forth," and his line runs on to Judah's kings and her great King.